CDA plans to move Afghan refugees from I-12.

ISLAMABAD -- The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is planning to get the Afghan refugees move amicably from I-12, as their presence has been hampering ongoing development work there.

According to CDA officials, around 15,000 registered and thousands of illegal Afghan refugees have been living in the sub-sector 2 and 3 of I-12. The officials said the CDA had started development work in the stalled sector and eviction of refugees was the need of the hour for completion of the development work.

To resolve the issue, the city managers held a meeting at the CDA headquarters, which was chaired by Chief Commissioner and CDA Chairman retired Capt Mohammad Usman Younis, the deputy commissioner Islamabad, the commissioner Afghan refugees and other concerned officers.

During the meeting, CDA officials told the commissioner Afghan refugees that without moving out the refugees from the sector CDA could not continue development work.

Development work not possible in sector without shifting out refugees, meeting told

The CDA officials told the meeting that the civic agency was not only facing pressure from allottees of plots but parliament's standing committees had also directed the CDA to complete the development of the sector at the earliest. Therefore, the CDA officials requested for shifting of the refugees from the sector.

Though a final decision is yet to be made, sources in CDA said that the civic agency could offer an alternative vacant land on a temporary basis for setting up camps for the registered refugees in nearby areas, likely H-12. It was also decided that CDA will write a formal letter to the UN refugee agency and the commissioner Afghan refugees and another meeting will be held on the issue soon.

'The refugees have no right to...